Ordination Message - Paul Zehr

I too want to reach you this evening name of Jesus. I appreciate the

spirit of reverence. This is a crucial time for your congregation, and who

want to recognize that. I feel a little bit well. One hundred and

sixty years ago this month, Abraham Lincoln gave a famous address known as the

Gettysburg Address. Now I'm no Abraham Lincoln. I don't need to remind you

of that. One thing he said in that address was that the world will

will little note or long remember what we say here today. Kind of feel

that way in this context. You know, probably the things I say will

likely not be remembered very long due to what the nature of the service here.

But I want to leave that up to the Lord. I want to

be faithful to what God has has given me. When I received this this

assignment, with this program that was sent to me, I noticed the last

assignment was simply said ordination message. That kind of took me back a little

bit. You know, usually there's something a little more than that, a

tax or something, and I remember thinking to myself, well, I've never

done that before. Well it wasn't until I got here. Has pointed out

to me that ten years ago. You had an ordination here and this was

the exact assignment that was given me. In fact, the whole program was

the same with Leland and I. I guess they decided to do it that

way, which is fine. If I had noted, I'd probably looked back

and tried to see what maybe what I said back then, but it was

too late then, and so here we are. It's interesting. Brother Jason

talked about Samuel, and my thoughts also went to Samuel just a few chapters

after, after the account he gave as Samuel as a young boy. I

was thinking of what story that we read in Samuel for Samuel seven, and

this is to me it has always been an interesting story. The people there

were, you know, as they often did. They there seemed to be

cycles of of idolatry and then repentance. Well, the people had been involved

in idolatry. The people there was. The people had been worshiping the gods

of Astroth and the gods of Bail. But at this point they they were

now coming into a very dangerous time. They were under the siege of the

Flictines, and they were very fearful. They're very survival as a country was

in question. And these people, as they were in that situation, they

begin to recognize their sin. And and you know, that's that's such a

trade of humanity with are peaceful when things are prosperity. When things are prosperous,

when things are going well, there's a tendency to forget. There's a

tendency to the spiritual vitality kind of wanes. But when danger and uncertainty come,

people tend to reconsider or think about God and the relationship to God.

That's that's basically what happened here. It says there and I'm not going to

turn to that, but it says all the House of Israel lamented after the

Lord. They were seeking God. They were serious about this thing. They

wanted to be revived and it was it was a time of revival, and

they called for Samuel. And they up to that time, there was different

times when they really weren't that interested in what this old man Samuel had to

say. They went against what he had to say. But this at this

point, now, suddenly they were very interested in what Samuel's had to had

to say to them. And Samuel told them what they needed to do.

He said, you need to repent, and you need to change your ways.

And that's really what they did. They recognize their sins, they put

away their idols, but they were still fearful. They were still living in

fear these felictines and what might happen to their nation and to them, to

their families. The fear was still there. And then they asked, Samuel

said, they asked. This is a quote. This is a verse.

I'm not sure which verse, but it says they asked Samuel to cease,

not to cry into the Lord are God for us, that he will save

us out of the hands of the flicties. They pled for Samuel, just

keep praying for us. And I'm sure you know as a congregation you have

been doing that. There's been prayer, I believe that. But the story

goes on that Samuel did that. Samuel prayed. Not only did he pray,

but he offered sacrifice, and as the story moves on, it shows

how that the Lord he moved on their behalf. He answered that prayer and

a great victory was one for the people of God. And then at the

end of that account is the first Samuel seven, verse twelve that says,

then Samuel took a stone then said it between Ms. Beth and Shinn and

called the name of an Ebeneezer, saying, hitherto hath the Lord helped us?

And I often think of that in relation to an ordination, that that

scripture all comes to my mind often as we moved through the process of an

ordination. You know, we try to follow the pattern that we find in

the scripture. You know, we don't want to do anything that the scripture

would not endorse. We want to do it in a biblical way, god

fearing way. And then we come to the end and the will of the

Lord is revealed, and we can say then that hitherto the Lord has helped

us. I trust that will be our expression this evening. But we think

of that stone there that Samuel set up as a stone of memorial. That's

really what it was. And we all have memorial stones, some memorial in

our life, things that we think about, things that happened years ago,

and they mean some thing to us. We remember that fifty years ago today

I had my first son, and I remember that, I remember what the

weather was like, I remember where I was, I remember my feelings as

a young twenty three year old father. I guess those are meaningful times.

And this is a what is taking place here this evening is a memorial stone

for this congregation. This is something you will remember. This is something that

is being written in your history. But you know, there's an interesting thing,

a reality we have to face, and that is time doesn't stand still.

And you can say, we will be able to say I trust,

we will be able to say, hitherto have the Lord helped us? And

that means simply that up until this point we look back, we're looking back.

We say God has really helped us, God has led us do this

thing. We can see the hand of God. But then hitherto means up

till now? But what about after tonight? What about after the next week,

the next month, the next year, what will our what will our

witness be? Then? Well, Samuel, of course he wanted the people

to remember, so that's the reason he put up that stone, you know,

and he used that for a memorial stone. But what can we do?

You know, we have memorial stones, we our country has memorials.

We know about that. We see those even in a you go to a

cemetery, there's stones there that speak to the life of a person. What

can we do about the future. I believe God wants to bless us in

the future. I believe I have no question about that. He wants to

guide us in the future. But you know, we have to do our

part. There's certain things that we must do now. The as I said,

the assigned topic is an ordination message. So the question what what does

what is ordination? What does ordination mean? Well, how do we understand

ordination. It's it's a it's a word that's found a number of times in

the scripture. Both hold a New Testament and the the underlying meaning of ordination

has to like selected, or we'd say chosen for maybe a specific purpose,

to designate to a point. There's actually a number of words that are translated

translated ordination, but in the simplest form, maybe we just say chosen,

where someone has been chosen for a specific for a pacific purpose, for a

pacific role. And our our existence here on this earth, our existence here

tonight, existence, your existence in your home, is not just a random

thing. It's not just something that happened. I believe firmly that God has

a has a plan. He does not foreset plan on us, but he

does have a plan. He has something in mind for us, and we

can do. The story is about Jonah. We can reject that call.

We have that power, We have the power of choice. Many do many

many reject that, go their own way and to pursue the things of the

world. But that's not God's intent, that's not what he has ordained us.

For He has ordained us. He has chosen us for something else,

is a purpose for us. We struggle finding that sometimes, but nevertheless that's

the way it is, and we will only find peace, We will only

find eternal life when we yield ourself to His plan. In that sense,

as we think of the word ordained as being chosen, I want to kind

of go to that. This evening, we have two couples here, two

young men, two young ladies, their companions that we feel that the Church,

using the best discernment, using the prayers, using the qualifications we find

in the scripture, have chosen. The Church has chosen these men. But

there's one final step, and that is to see what God has to say

about the matter. But we're all chosen, every one of us here this

evening has been chosen. God has a plan for each one of us.

Not in the ministry. Wherever in life you are, whether you're a mother,

a father, a teenager, wherever you are in life, just remember

that God has chosen you. In one Peter, we see the scripture ye,

but ye are a chosen generation. This isn't just talking about leadership,

but a royal priesthood and holy nation and peculiar people that you should show forth

the praise of Him who has called you out of darkness under his marvelous light.

Everyone here is ordained. In that sense, you have been chosen.

So I want to look at that a little closer. What does God?

What is God looking for? When we talk about choosing what, what's he

looking for? Well, first of all, we'd say he's looking for men.

He's looking for men that can be leaders in the church. And again

in these times of ordination, you know some oftentimes of mind will go to

Ezekiel there Ezekal twenty two, verse thirty, whereasays I sought for a man

among them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before me

in the land, that I should not destroy it. But I found none.

A sad commentary has had condition to be in that God was looking for

a man. There was a certain situation here, there was a gap,

there was something that was not quite as it should have been, and he

needed the man. He needed somebody to stand in that gap. But he

couldn't find anybody. There was no one qualified. There was no one that

was willing to do that. In stories of olden time, and I've heard

different stories like this where there was city walls and those composed basically the defense

of a city, and those walls were very important, and that for one

reason or another, there there was a breach in the wall. Maybe it

was the enemy that did it, maybe it happened some other way, but

it was a very dangerous situation when there's a breach in the wall. And

if nothing was done, if that breach was just left there and was ignored

and people went their way, did about their business and left the breach there,

there was a grave threat to the lives of the people. There was

needed to be a man. There was needed to be a man that would

enter into that breach and put his life on the line, so to speak,

to stand there to defend the city until reinforcements would come and something could

be done about this breach. But there was no man to do that.

And sometimes I think maybe I referred to that this morning a little bit.

Maybe it was the other night. I can't quite remember now, But you

know, there's a tendency sometimes I think it's partially with age, partially,

maybe not entirely, but where we kind of think there's just no one qualified.

There's a need here, we feel the need for the church, for

the for additional leadership. But as we think about it, you know,

our first reaction is there's no one qualified on no one we know of the

church would really meet that. But I just want to remind you this morning

or this evening, God is faithful, God will be faithful. I've seen

it many times over and over again where that is somewhat the mentality, sometimes

even in the leadership, but sometimes in the congregation we'll hear that kind of

response that, well, we kind of like to have an ordination, but

we don't see anybody here that's qualified. The Scripture says Second Chronicle seven fourteen,

if my people, and there's an if, there a little word if,

but it's a very has a profound meaning. If my people, which

are called my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face,

and turn from their wicked ways. Then I will hear from heaven and forgive

their sind healed their land. If the people will do this, God will

provide leadership. I believe that's a promise we can lay hold on. God

is looking for men. God is looking for men for important work. But

he didn't find any there, and he's not looking to her. You know.

Sometimes in Isaiah there we read that account where the angel or the angel

said who will go? And Isaiah said, I'm here, I send me.

Now. We need to have a proper understanding of that. We need

to be willing, and I don't think Isaiah was portraying something there where somebody,

you know, campaigns for leadership. That's not the pattern of the scripture.

That's not the way it works. And sometimes people hold this matter of

leadership so dear and so important. They're not, you know, But we

need to remember that. We need to be in context. The work of

an ordination is is the work of the body. But you know, whatever

God has called you to, you're ordained for that, You're chosen for that.

When we think of this type of an ordination, it's not a process.

It's in the hands of the select few. It's not just a few

of the ministers get together and discuss this thing and come out and say we've

decided so and so should be should be the next leader. It's not the

way it works. That's not the biblical pattern. We don't see that in

the Bible. Neither do we see the congregation just voting. We see something

a little different, a process in which God works through the church. The

Church considers the qualifications, and God expects those qualifications to be respected and honored.

Men are chosen based on that, and then God makes a final choice.

I think it's a beautiful picture, another thing that God has chosen for

us, all ordained for us, all his repentance. We need to have

a repentant heart, a penitent heart. Scripture says Act seventeen, verse thirty

times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to

repent. John the Baptist came preaching the repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is

at hand. Jesus pretty much had the same message. Recently. Somebody was

talking to me and basically there their concern, and I don't I don't throw

that concern out the window. But he just felt today, in our day,

there's there's not the emphasis on repentance that there should be. Second Corinthians

seventy ten for godly sorrow work with repentance to salvation, not to be repented

of, but the sorrow the world work with death. And there's just we

see there. One very plain thing is that there's a difference in the kind

of sorrow. I think you could say there's a difference in the kind of

repentance. Some repentance is results in salvation. Other repentances results in something else.

Sometimes church leaders need to repent, sometimes we do. We're not above

sin, we're not about failure. Sometimes there's bad decisions made, decisions that

are not well thought out, and there's wrong judgment. And I think we

need to realize Satan. Satan targets leaders. Satan. I remember somebody saying,

I think it was a preacher years ago, that Satan puts a bullseye

on the back of a leader because he knows the impact, he knows the

benefit he will reap if he can get a leader to fail, a leader

to fall into sin, and that's that's his goal. And I believe we

need to recognize that, and so we need we need to be repenting.

The Bible talks or Jesus talked about a certain I guess it was a parable

about two boys that the father said, go work in my vineyard, and

the first and said, I'll go. I think he said, a sir,

I'll go, Sir, pretty respectful, I'll go. And the other

one said, no, I'm not going to go. I have other things

to do. I'm not interested in working in the vineyard. And I have

my own will, I have my own plans for the day. But he

says, then one of them repented himself and went, and the other one

that said he'd go didn't go. And then Jesus followed that story up by

asking which one of these boys did the will of his father will? The

answer is very clear, very basic. It's the one that actually went.

Repent means to change our mind, to change the way we think, to

change our values, to change our attitude, to change from blaming circumstances or

blaming other people or are blaming anybody but ourself, to admitting our own need,

to omitting our own guilt. That's what repentance is. We have to

be there. God in the scripture says, oh your sins be as scarlet,

there will be as white as snow. Who does that apply to?

How do we lay hold of that promise? It doesn't apply to the stubborn,

the hard heart of the rebellious. It doesn't apply to the person who

feels sorry for themselves and blames others. It applies to those who change their

hearts. We have the story of Luke twenty five, that familiar story of

the prodigal son, and we know that story how that this young man's sin.

He rebelled against his father and all the things that happened to him.

And then the day came where the or the scripture says that he came to

himself. And the literal meaning of that, the little translation, as I

understand it, is he returned to sanity. There was a spiritual insanity that

he was pursuing, but at this point when he came to himself, he

came back to spiritual sanity. He didn't blame anybody else. And he came

to his father and said, I have sinned. He didn't say, you

didn't treat me right, but I'm coming back anyway. He said, I

have sinned not only against you, but I sinned against heaven people that make

people make a lot of excuses for disobedience. That's wired into our human nature.

Adam blamed Eli, blamed the serpent king Saul. When he failed to

destroy the Amlicis. He blamed the people. He said, the people did

this, and he put on a show of worship. I believe that God

has ordained us to obedience. He has chosen us to be an obedient people.

Hebrews thirteen, verse seventeen. Obey them that have the rule over you,

and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls and say that must

give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief, for

that is unprofitable for you. And I've heard some people already really do some

gym with his scripture to somehow make it mean something that it doesn't mean.

Somehow, this obedient thing, it must mean something else, this idea of

just being obedient, it's got to be something different than that. That's what

some people do. There'll be many There have been many church leaders who finished

their course with grief, and that could be because of their own failings.

I acknowledge that there will be some come to grief, others that come to

grief because of the rebellion of the people. We have the story of the

weeping prophet Jeremiah. He wept because of their hard hearts. He wept because

these people will fully set in sin. And you know, the matter of

obedience is very difficult if we're being asked to do something that we don't really

want to do. I demand a leader recently, not nobody from here,

but he was lamenting the situation in his congregation, and the specifically one person.

I think maybe there were some others. He just said, you know,

it just seems like whatever is asked, whatever is brought up, there's

resistance. There's always something not quite right with the way this is being presented.

He said, you know, I think maybe the answer would be to

come up with something that I don't agree with and then present that and then

see what he'll come up with. I don't think he was real serious with

that. Scripture says, the sacrifices of God or a broken spirit, a

broken in a contrary at heart, Oh God, that will not despise.

God ordains faithfulness, He expects faithfulness. He chooses us to be faithful.

The Bible tells us how faith is a substance of things. Hope for the

evidence of things not seen. Now we claim that the just shall be saved

by faith, and we have this ongoing discourse sometimes or this debate among certain

circles that faith verse works, and the idea among some is just once you're

say by faith, and it doesn't matter what you do. Well, we

know that that's false. Once we've been saved by faith, it depends on

our ongoing faithfulness. We need to continue to be faithful. I don't believe

in eternal security. We may have the new birth experience, we may have

walked with God and had an experience with God, but at the point we

become disobedient, but at the point we become no longer faithful, our salvation

is no longer assured. We need to remember that. Scripture says Second Corinthians.

I'm sorry, Second Chronicles sixteen, verse nine, for the eyes of

the Lord run to and fro through the whole earth, to show themselves strong

on behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him. In we have the

story there in Matthew twenty five, where Jesus told another parable. Jesus told

me many parable, but in this story very familiar parable of the three servants

that were given talents, and in that story, they didn't all receive the

same amount. There was a varying amounts. Jesus was ought trying and that

parable to teach about fairness, that they had to be fair all get the

same amount. He wasn't trying to teach about the rate of return for his

investment. That was not the point. The point really that he was trying

to teach was that of faithfulness. Whether we have a lot of talents or

a few talents. You know that it says in there that he was given

these talents were given according to their several ability, and we have to leave

that in the hands of God what their ability is. But He gives us

talents, and they were to be diligent with their talents with what they had.

Two of them were faithful to them fulfill the responsibility. But the last,

the third man, was different. He was fearful. He was afraid,

he felt that his talent, he'd lose his talent or something. He

laid it up a napkin and buried it in the earth. Maybe he thought

he was playing safe, Maybe he thought he was wise in doing so.

Maybe he felt he had no ability. Maybe he was hurt because he didn't

get as many talents as the other guys. I don't know what the problem

was, but I do know he was called a wicked, unfaithful man.

He was severely judged for that faith. God calls us to be faithful.

He also ordains us, or chooses peace for his people Isaiah twenty six,

verse twelve, O Lord, that will ordain peace for us. He ordains

peace for us, for the church, for all thou hast for also for

thou also hast wrought our works in us. God intends this evening got in

plans for us to live in peace. And that's probably one of the most

difficult things that a leader's face, among the most difficult things. When there's

when there is not peace in the congregation, when people are not at peace,

when there's conflict, when there's stress, when there's when there's bitterness,

all those things. He intends for peace and respect to be between the between

the laity and the ministry, and between each other. Psalm one hundred and

thirty three talks about peace. How behold, how good and pleasant it is

for brethren to dwell together in unity. For it is like the precious So

I'm upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard that

went down the skirts of his garments, as a duo of herman that descended

upon the Mount of Zion. For that there the Lord has commanded his blessing

even life forevermore. One of the biggest blessings again, one of the biggest

blessings for your leaders is to take the matter of peace seriously, to live

in peace. Sometimes we talk about, or we think about, I don't

know what terminology to use, but ordinations that just don't work count very well.

Men that are chosen and then there's problems, whether it's his fault or

somebody else's fault, I don't know, but that that happens. And I

would just say this evening, you know it's it takes a joint effort.

It takes the responsibility to congregation to live in peace and put your efforts forth

to make this work. Peace doesn't just happen. Peace isn't one of those

things. It just you wake up in the morning, it's a beautiful day

and blue sky and just soft, warm breezes. You didn't have anything to

do with that. God just sent it. But that's not the way peace

is in the church. It takes effort, it takes a purpose. We

need to work at being peaceful. On this scripture, I just read there

and SAWM. One hundred and thirty three where it talks about brethren dwelling together

and unity and how pleasant that is. And then it talks about the dew

coming down from Mount Herman descending upon the mountains design and says, for there

the Lord commanded his blessing. And that just simply tells me where that does

not exist. For peace is not promoted, for peace is not valued to

the point that it needs to be. The blessing of the Lord isn't there.

The blessing of the Lord has left there, It's not there anymore.

So again this evening, God is looking, God is ordaining and designating people

to do his work. Isaiah sixty six, Verse one. Thus, saith

the Lord. The heaven is my throne. On the earth is my footstool.

Where is the house that you build unto me? Where is the place

of my rest? For all these things on hand hath made, and all

those things hath been, Saith the Lord. But to this man will I

look even to him that is of a peign contrite spirit, and that trembleth

at my word. If our congregations and our leadership combined had that poor and

a contrite spirit, had that had attitude of looking at the Word of God

and essence trembling at it. And that doesn't mean that doesn't mean shaking and

being fearful and that kind of a fear, but having a godly fear for

the Word of God, we tremble in that sense. You know, the

problems would be a lot less and your ministry would be blessed, the church

would be blessed, your young people would be blessed. So I want to

leave that with you this evening. May God that his blessing